Clock with release mechanism



g 39% M. BEGUSN 3,264,817

CLOCK WITH RELEASE MECHANISM Filed April 6, i965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR MAURICE BEGU/N ATTORNEYS 1956 M. BEGUIN I 3,264,813?

CLOCK WITH RELEASE MECHANISM Filed April 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hllll Hlflllllltlllll Q o YIIHHIIX ll 1 I I I36! 25 F/ INVENTO'R MAURICE BEGU/N United States Patent 3,264,817 CLOCK WITH RELEASE MECHANISM Maurice Beguin, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, assignor to Le Portescap S.A., La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzer- This invention relates to a clock with a tripping mechanism, and more particularly to a clock of that type having a window which displays the time at which the tripping is to take place and a stopping mechanism which is operable from the window.

The clock is characterized by having a window provided with a movable protective glass or other transparent material operatively connected to a stopping device which interrupts the effects of the actuated tripping mechanism in such a manner that the glass constitutes a push-button controlling the stopping device, e.g., to turn off a ringing alarm actuated at a predetermined time by the tripping mechanism.

One embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective showing a clock having the tripping and stopping mechanisms of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan, on a larger scale and partially in section along the line II-II of FIGURE 5, showing a part of the movement of the clock and the tripping and stopping mechanisms;

FIG. 3 is a plan similar to that of FIGURE 2 showing the mechanisms in a different position;

FIGURE 4 is a plan showing a detail of construction of a portion of the mechanisms shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 in another position;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation in section showing a detail of construction of the window and the stopping mechanism; and

FIGURE 6 is an elevation partially in section showing another detail of construction.

The clock shown in the drawings has a tripping mechanism which controls the closing of a contact to create a signal, for instance, an electrical contact to sound an alarm signal. The tripping mechanism is of the type having a cam 1, driven by the movement of the clock (shown schematically), which controls a tripping lever 3 following the cam. The tripping lever 3 is pivoted on a pin 2 on the frame of the movement and has a nose 3a which follows the cam 1. A spring 4 fastened to a pin 5 on the frame of the movement biases the nose 3a against the surface of the earn 1. The tripping lever 3 also has an arm 3b engaging a flexible contact arm 6 which carries one of the points 7b of an electric contact 7. Closing of the contact 7 by the tripping mechanism, illustratively, completes an electrical circuit and produces the signal.

The tripping cam 1 turns at the rate of one revolution in 24 hours and is driven in a known manner by an hour wheel 8 located at the center of the movement by means of a differential mechanism, designated generally by a numeral 9, shown only schematically.

Setting the time at which the signal is to occur, i.e., the tripping mechanism is to operate, is effected manually by means of a control knob, not shown, mounted on the end of a shaft 10 carrying a pinion 11 which acts through an intermediate wheel 12 on the differential 9. Thus, the cam 1 can be turned to set the tripping time even while it is being driven by the movement.

A display device comprising a rotary ring 13 of generally cylindrical shape having on its outer face a time scale 14 (FIGURE 6), the subdivisions of which corre- 3,264,817 Patented August 9, 1966 spond to a time period of five minutes, enables a person to set a pre-determ-ined time for the clock signal. The rotary ring 13 is coaxial to the movement and is placed on the outside of the frame (not shown) of the movement adjacent the generally cylindrical-shaped outer casing 15 of the clock which has a window opening 16 at one side as shown in FIGURE 1. In this manner, the scale 14 of the ring 13 is visible through the window 16 which desirably has a protective glass 17 of a transparent material with a hairline 1 8 to cooperate with the scale 14. The ring 13 is rotated, when the tripping mechanism is set, by a gear wheel 19, rigidly secured to the shaft 10, engaging gear teeth 20 on the inner periphery of the ring 13. The cam 1 and ring 13 are thus synchronized by the setting mechanism so that the hairline 18 on the glass 17 indicates on the scale 14 the time the tripping mechanism will actuate the signal.

It should be noted that, depending on the diameter of the ring 13, the scale 14 may have subdivisions corresponding to periods of time shorter than five minutes and yet sufiiciently spaced from each other for easy reading, enabling setting of the tripping mechanism with great precision. As a variant, the glass 17 could be curved to provide magnification of the scale 14 showing therethrough.

The clock also has a manually operated stopping device intended to interrupt the effects of the actuated tripping mechanism, e.g., to stop the signal produced when the contact 7 is closed by the tripping lever 3. The stopping device comprises a lever 21 pivoted on a pin 22 on the frame of the movement. One end of the lever 21 has a pin 23 contacting the end of a flexible contact arm 24 carrying another point 7a of the electric contact 7. When the stop lever 21 is in the position shown in FIGURE 3, its operative position, the pin 23 engages and lifts the contact arm 24 to open the contact 7 between the points 7a and 7b, even when the arm 3b of the tripping lever 3 acts on the contact arm 6 to push it toward the contact arm 24. Thus, the stop lever 21 in the operative position interrupts the signal actuated by the tripping mechanism.

Operation of the lever 21 is effected by means of the ring 13 which for this purpose is adapted to have lateral movement along a diameter passing through the window 16. The ring 13 is rotatably mounted on, and supported by, a generally circular pillar plate 25 on the frame of the movement. To permit the diametral movement of the ring 13, the perphery of the pillar plate 25 has two portions 26 and 27 of different diameters connected by two straight portions 28 (only one of which is shown in FIGURES 2 to 4) on opposite sides of the plate 25. The portion of the plate 25 of larger diameter 26 subtends an angle less than and its mid-point is preferably diametrically opposite the window 16. A spring 29, one end of which is fastened to a pin 30 on the frame of the movement and the other end of which rests freely against another pin 31 on the frame, bears against the inner face of the ring 13 to bias the ring leftwardly and to hold it in the position shown in FIGURE 2. In that position the ring 13 is coaxial to the movement and bears against a guide surface formed by the portion 26 of the periphery of the pillar plate 25. A small clearance 32 (FIGURES 2 and 5) is then present between the ring 13 and the opposite peripheral portion 27 of the pillar plate 25 to permit lateral translation of the ring.

The window glass 17 has flanges 17a and 1712 on the interior side of the casing 15 and is movably mounted in the window 16. The glass 17 can be pushed inwardly against the ring 13 to translate the ring 13 diametrically, against the action of the return spring 29, to the posi tion shown in FIGURE 3. During that translation, an inner shoulder 13a of the ring 13 acts against one end 3 of the lever 21 turning it counter-clockwise about the pivot 22 to its operative position in which the pin 23 on its end lifts the contact arm 24 to open the contact 7. Thus, the window glass 17 serves as a push-button to operate the stopping mechanism in which the ring 13 is an operative link between the glass 17 and the stop lever 21. The lever 21 is preferably frictionally mounted so that it remains in the operative position when the glass 17 push-button is released and an the ring 13 returns to the position shown in FIGURE 2.

To prevent the stop device from being unintentionally operated before tripping occurs, which would prevent the tripping mechanism from closing the contact 7 when tripping did occur, the tripping lever 3 has an arm 3c which can act against the pin 23 on the lever 21 to block its upward movement as shown in FIGURE 4, and to maintain the lever 21 in its inactive position until the lever 3 is raised by the cam 1, as shown in FIGURE 2, clearing the path of movement of pin 23. Thus, the window glass 17 push-button of the stopping device cannot be operated until tripping has taken place.

It should be pointed out that the clock may also have other means, not shown, for stopping the signal. Such means are independent of the stop device described, are manually controlled, and act on one of the contact arms 6 or 24, moving them to a position in which the contact 7 cannot be closed.

The arm 3c of the tripping lever 3 also serves to return automatically the stop lever 21 to its inactive position after it has been operated. The tripping lever 3 is returned to its inoperative position, shown in FIGURE 4, by the slow rotation of the tripping cam 1. During that motion of the lever 3, its arm 30 acts against the pin 23 to turn the lever 21 clockwise, producing the levers return to its inoperative position, i.e., both levers 3 and 21 move from their positions shown in FIGURE 3 to their positions shown in FIGURE 4.

It should of course be understood that numerous modifications and changes in the embodiments illustrated and dsecribed can be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clock having a casing, a time keeping and indicating movement, a signal-producing means, a tripping mechanism driven by said movement for actuating said signal-producing means at a predetermined time, a stopping mechanism for interrupting the signal of said signalproducing means when it is actuated, a window in said casing, a time-display means visible through said window synchronized to display said predetermined time therethrough and operably connected to said stopping mechanism, and a transparent button movably mounted in said window engaging said time-display means, whereby the signal can be interrupted by movement of said button.

2. A clock according to claim 1 wherein said timedisplay means comprises a rotatable cylindrical ring with a time scale on its outer face which is visible through said Window.

3. A clock according to claim 2 wherein said ring is movably mounted on the frame of said clock movement in a manner adapted to permit diametral translation of said ring along a diameter passing through said window, whereby movement of said glass acts on said ring to displace it diametrically to actuate said stopping mechamsm.

4. A clock according to claim 3 wherein said ring is mounted on a continuous bearing surface on the frame of said movement, said surface having at least two portions of different radius to accommodate diametral translation of said ring, and means to bias said ring against one of said portions and toward said window.

5. A clock according to claim 4 wherein the portion of said bearing surface having a larger radius has its mid-point diametrically opposite said window and subtends an angle at its center of less than and said means to bias said ring is a spring mounted on said movement frame and bearing against said ring.

6. A clock according to claim 1 wherein said stopping mechanism has a lever pivotally mounted to move from a first position to a second position, said lever being engaged with said time-display means whereby movement of said button moves said lever from said first position to said second position during which movement said lever interrupts the signal.

7. A clock according to claim 6 wherein said tripping mechanism has a tripping lever pivotally mounted to move from a first position to a second position, said tripping lever having a first arm engaging and actuating said signal-producing means when said lever is in said second position, and a second arm disposed in said first position to block movement of said stopping lever to the latters second position.

8. A clock according to claim 1 wherein said timedisplay means has a scale with subdivisions corresponding to periods of five minutes.

9. A clock according to claim 1 wherein said transparent button has an index mark to indicate said predetermined time on said time-display means.

10. A clock according to claim 2 further comprising means for setting said tripping means for said predetermined time and for rotating said ring whereby said ring and said tripping mechanism are synchronized and the time displayed through said window is the predetermined time at which tripping is set to occur.

11. A clock according to claim 2 wherein said ring is coaxial with the movement of said clock and said Window is in a side wall of said casing.

12. A clock having a signal-making contact, a tripping mechanism for closing said contact and stopping mechanism for opening said contact which comprises a cam driven by the movement of said clock, a pivotally mounted tripping lever having a nose following said cam and a pair of arms, contact means having a pair of flexible arms, one of said tripping lever arms engageable with the first of said contact arms to move it into contact with the second of said contact arms when said tripping lever is actuated by said cam, a pivotally mounted stopping lever engageable with said second contact arm adapted to move it away from said first contact arm to open said contact means when said stop lever is actuated, the other arm of said tripping lever being disposed in the unactuated position thereof to block movement of said stopping lever and to engage said stopping lever in its actuated position to move it to its unactuated position, a cylindrical ring having a time scale on the outer periphery and engageable on the inner periphery with said stopping lever, a window in the casing of said clock through which said scale can be seen, said ring being rotatably mounted and diametrally translatable on the clock movement, and means in said window for moving said ring laterally during which translation said stopping lever is moved to its actuated position.

No references cited.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CLOCK HAVING A CASING, A TIME KEEPING AND INDICATING MOVEMENT, A SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS, A TRIPPING MECHANISM DRIVEN BY SAID MOVEMENT FOR ACTUATING SAID SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS AT A PREDETERMINED TIME, A STOPPING MECHANISM FOR INTERRUPTING THE SIGNAL OF SAID SIGNALPRODUCING MEANS WHEN IT IS ACTUATED, A WINDOW IN SAID CASING, A TIME-DISPLAY MEANS VISIBLE THROUGH SAID WINDOW SYNCHRONIZED TO DISPLAY SAID PREDETERMINED TIME THERETHROUGH AND OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID STOPPING MECHANISM, AND A TRANSPARENT BUTTON MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID WINDOW ENGAGING SAID TIME-DISPLAY MEANS, WHEREBY THE SIGNAL CAN BE INTERRUPTED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID BUTTON. 